City Council members plan to look at Albuquerque's energy efficiency plan, and while some look to change the code, others say not so fast.

City Council members will debate whether it's time to change the code during a meeting Monday night.

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"Right now our current code makes Albuquerque an island where it costs more to build a home -- it costs more to build a warehouse/office complex," said District 5 Councilman Dan Lewis, who co-sponsored the legislation on Monday's agenda. "The costs are higher, and we can change the code to make it more consistent.

Lewis said it's time the city takes steps to adopt the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code -- a standard used by both Bernalillo County and the state.

"So it needs to change," he said. "We need to make it more consistent with the rest of the country, the rest of the Southwest (and) municipalities around Albuquerque."

"Codes are supposed to be adaptive to localities based on local policy and desire," said District 3 Councilman Isaac Benton, who co-sponsored the city's current code that was adopted two years ago.

Benton said a change would be a step back, especially for people who benefit from the savings.

"They talk a lot about what it costs to implement our current code, but they don't talk about the people who are benefiting," Benton said. "And primary amongst those are renters -- lower-income people."

Officials said they expect a healthy debate, ending with a vote by the Council.